[Mountaineer]

Originally Posted by Big2Cat

Finding a loophole to your benefit is sneaky at best, unsportsmanlike at the worst. I remember the days when a coach would try to get his kids to line up in the wrong spots (when we used to let 4 from each team in the lane) and then once the free throw shooter got the ball, his kid would leave his spot and tell the other kid to switch with him thus causing a double violation. Is that a great strategy? I call it poor sportsmanship--trying to find a loophole to gain an advantage.

Now, the problem is that both coaches are trying to gain an advantage...one tells his kid to miss the FT, the other coach says to violate until he does. However, the one purposely violating every time is the one making the travesty of the game, as even if the coach tells his kid to make the FT, there are no guarantees that he will. In fact, I have even heard coaches tell there kid to miss the FT and seen them make it.

Anyhow...the onus is on the coach who is violating on purpose time and time again. Missing a free throw (on purpose) is not a violation (unless of course he misses the rim, too).

If a team is behind by 4 with :30 on the clock and they foul - do you call intentional every time? How about ever? Penalize the infraction and conintue. Do you break up a meeting if a player fouls out and the coach calls the entire team over and uses his time to get the sub in as a time out? Coaches always send subs for the shooter after the 2nd FT has started in order to set up a press - using the rules. I personally have no problem if a coach can use the rules to gain an advantage. There is a penalty for a violation - in this case it's shooting the shot over - you penalize the violation according to the rules, period. I have a problem when we stretch the rule book to make the game fit into our desires. I may not like having to repeat shot after shot after shot - but I can assure you we would if it was my call. I find no way of calling anything here but the lane violation.